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Becoming a SSD Advocate

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Question - Becoming a SSD Advocate

MI

I'm on SSD for a disorder that pretty much keeps me at home. I go to the Meijer around the corner, the library, and the hospital.

I'm also retraining myself in website programming in hopes that I'll either stumble on to some solution to my disease of find a good idea and build a succe$$ful website.

I got this other idea a little while ago too. There are all kinds of SSD advocate groups that help people get benefits and then take 25% of the back pay. I figure, since I got my own benefits I could help others out too - and charge something less than the max 25%.

My question is, how feasible would such a job be for someone dealing with the crap I constantly deal with? There's no way I can go standing in line anywhere or have meetings. Just getting to the Dr. is a serious trial and whips me out for a day - maybe two.

I have no problem learning how the system works though, and sending mail, and calling and harassing people on behalf of a client.

Also, some cases go to a hearing - and I wouldn't be able to make that (I was scared to death might have to go to my own). Are there lawyers willing to take hourly pay just to go to the hearing and represent the case I assemble?

Thanks, any ideas?
 
Last edited:


GeoNOregon

Junior Member
Sorry to hear about your disability. I'm recently disabled due to a brain injury on top of a host of old & debilitating physical injuries.

I lived a 4 year nightmare getting SS and am still dealing with the fall-out a year after getting my SS benefits.

Given your situation, you may not be able to do what you are thinking. I may be wrong, but I thought only an attorney could represent & take a fee.

You may be better off writing about the SS process &/or building a website about it. I haven't spent a lot of time looking at SS related websites, as I didn't even consider the Internet for help until I was almost done.

It was too depressing for me to look at what help I did see on the 'net as I learned so much of it the hard way.

But that's the nightmare of a head injury, it kept me from thinking about how to get help.

I suppose if I would have been able to find a SS coach that could have helped me understand the process and my rights, I would have been much better off. I counted on my attorney for that and was sorely disappointed - I don't know if it was just my attorney, but I find that most attorneys I talk to don't have much 'consumer advocate' in them and it's a shame.

I've known and worked with attorneys before who are morally outraged or personally offended by how their clients are treated and have always felt like they tried more options and worked harder for me and others.

I'm in much the same situation as you, I'm only 55 and the inhumane SS process raped me for all of my retirement, insurance and my house on top of the injury taking my livelihood and business. I now live on SS's ~900.00 and the grace of my girlfriend who now owns my house. Talk about trapped in a relationship.

I've worked since I was 15 when I started working on cars for people. I've been trying to get my life sorted out and then figure out what my next 'career' might be.

Keep in touch, maybe we can kick around ideas. I do have a lot of HTML experience - my business was computer consulting. I'd been in it long enough that I've done a lot of things that are now specialities only. In the -'80's, I was doing desktop publishing for pay and teaching computer applications to Health & PE majors. I started building systems and networks in 1990.

The brain injury took away my ability to fix hardware. I have problems with logic and decisions.

Later,

GeoD
 

BL

Senior Member
Personally you do not qualify to be a SS advocate .

If you applied with SSA to represent a client , SSA must approve it .

Two folks in my area worked as SSA claims reps. for 15 & 20 years .

They went into their own business of SSA advocate representatives .

You'd have to show SSA you qualify .
 
GeoNOregon, I can relate to that. This type of situation is what i think I can assist people with, but not take a quarter of their money.

BL, from what I understand, you need SSA approval only to be paid directly from SSA. But any fool can draw a legal contract for helping someone file for SSD.

If I find that this is something that is withing my physical limitations, I would then seek thorough training. I've been through the process for my specific case, but there is certainly more to learn. AND - I would prefer being paid directly as well.

This doesn't answer my question though. I didn't have to go to hearings or other meetings or wait in lines in my case. I just harassed everyone I could find via phone, fax, mail, and email.

From what I can tell, the only time I'd have to go out and about would be to represent someone in a hearing. But i was thinking I could hire a lawyer on a simple hourly basis for this.

I guess that's my main question. Would hearings be the only foot work and do lawyers commonly accept such hourly work?
 

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